Winners and losers from Zurich Classic week
This past weekend saw a lot of great story lines and we are here to give you the good and the bad of it. Here are our winners and losers from the past week in golf.
Winners
The LPGA — While the PGA Tour is struggling with a sidelined superstar, a hurt left-hander and a host of big names having some trouble this season with their games, it's the LPGA that is producing quality champion after quality champion. Lydia Ko won her first LPGA event as a professional on Sunday, giving the LPGA a Lexi Thompson-Michelle Wie-Ko one-two-three punch over the last month.
Seung-Yul Noh — His bogey-free first three rounds might have been impressive, but the way he managed his game on Sunday with wind causing havoc on the field might have been just as good despite a few squares on his scorecard. Noh is an obvious talent and one of those young players that has a chance to be really, really big, especially if he can keep his composure at majors like he did on Sunday in New Orleans.
Robert Garrigus — Just over a month ago it was Garrigus who was leading a PGA Tour event after 54 holes, posting a final round 75 to drop down the leaderboard and miss out on an invite to the Masters. This Sunday at the Zurich it was Garrigus who jumped well up a leaderboard on Sunday, posting an 8-under 64, four shots better than the next best score on Sunday at TPC Louisiana, and landing Garrigus his second top-5 in his last five starts.
This shot by Keegan Bradley — I don't care if Keegan didn't win, this fairway wood shot he hit on Friday out of the bunker is one of the best you'll see all year.
Losers
Keegan Bradley's Sunday — He was right there on Sunday for a chance at a first PGA Tour win since August of 2012, but his 3-over 75 was the worst score of anyone in the top-14 on the leaderboard. Bradley's antics might be why he's so popular amongst fans, but his fidgeting and such might not spell success when the pressure builds on a Sunday.
Ben Martin — Mr. Feast or Famine looked like it would be a full table after his opening two rounds of 62-67, but weekend rounds of 73-75 dropped him all the way down to a T-15. Martin needs all the cash he can get if he wants to secure a card for 2015, so taking advantage after opening rounds like that is very, very important.
Patrick Reed — Since Mr. Top Five made those comments after his Cadillac Championship win, the 23-year-old has gone T-53, CUT, T-48 and another missed cut this past week in New Orleans. The golf gods giveth, and the golf gods taketh away.
Hudson Swafford — A week removed from the Nick Faldo controversy at the Heritage, Swafford had an incredible opportunity in New Orleans to show the golf world what they missed out on by putting Faldo in the field and not Swafford. Instead it was a 73-72 week for Swafford, who was slamming his trunk on Friday just like Faldo did a week ago.
